Thank you to the staff at the Alaska Sealife Center for trying to save the Pacific walrus pup which was found by oilfield workers 4 miles from the coast of the Beaufort Sea. We can only wonder about the fate of the pup’s mother. I hope the National Fish and Wildlife Service, which has the responsibility under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to protect Pacific Walruses, is investigating this incident.
The 2022 Stock Assessment Reports, which the National Fish and Wildlife Service use to keep track of Pacific walrus populations, stated that the “Potential Biological Removal” number for Pacific walrus in Alaska was 3,210. This is the number of Pacific walrus that can be sustainably killed while still allowing for a healthy population of Pacific walrus. The number of Pacific walrus reported to have been killed was 4,210, 1,000 more than may be sustainably killed. The National Fish and Wildlife Service has the legal and ultimate responsibility under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to ensure that these unique animals are protected and that their population does not decline.
A cautionary tale for not enforcing potential biological removal numbers is the Cook Inlet beluga whales. Between 1994 and 1998, Alaska Natives traveled to the Cook Inlet region from coastal communities around Alaska and killed Cook Inlet belugas at numbers far exceeding the potential biological removal numbers. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the agency legally responsible for protecting the Cook Inlet beluga whales under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, knew that much higher numbers of Cook Inlet beluga whales were being killed than was sustainable yet they did nothing to stop the killing until 1998, when the population had fallen below 300.
I implore the National Fish and Wildlife Service and the Eskimo Walrus Commission to work together to ensure that the potential biological removal numbers for Pacific walrus and also for other animals are not being exceeded. In addition, the National Fish and Wildlife Service and the Eskimo Walrus Commission should both be concerned about the callous treatment received by this Pacific walrus pup and likely by its mother. This incident should be fully investigated. All animals, and especially the young, should be treated with dignity, care and respect.
— Michelle Bittner
Anchorage
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